What is an Acts 2 Disciple Making congregation?
An Acts 2 or disciple-making congregation carries out the life of Jesus. They are filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; 37-38), a disciple-making congregation engages believers in the complete Discipleship Adventure (celebrate, connect, develop, serve, and share) and bears Acts 2 fruit (Acts 2:41-47).
Disciple-making congregations:
- Focus all activity on Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). The congregation is organized to make and engage disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (Matthew 28:18-20);
- Call, equip, and release disciples to pursue their passion and use their gifts to glorify God (Ephesians 411-13);
- Call, equip, send and support spiritual leaders to lead disciples in the Adventure (Mark 1:17);
- Lead disciples to meet the spiritual, social and physical needs of those in the community and world; and produce Acts 2 fruit (John 15:8, 16 and Acts 2:41-47).
Anticipated Fruits
Congregational Fruits - John 15:1-11 and Luke 13:6-7 (to be achieved by 2007) The anticipated fruits within the congregations are based on Acts 2:41-47:
- Acts 2:47 - Receive people by profession or reaffirmation of faith into the faith community (one person for every 25 worshipers).
- Acts 2:41 - Increase worship attendance (grow worship attendance by 2% of the worshiping congregation or 2% over the percentage growth of the community where the congregation is located).
- Acts 2: 44-45 - Mission engagement
- Address poverty and community development through ministries of mercy, justice and development (the Shalom and Holy Boldness strategies are two potential strategies);
- Activate 90% of the worshiping congregation in ministry within five years;Financially support mission through locally identified community and world mission projects and fulfill 100% of apportionment giving;
- Acts 2:43 - Demonstrate signs of God's power and wonder; Ministry results that are more than human ability and are clearly God's movement through the congregation. (examples of signs and wonders in Jesus' ministry were: 1) multiplication - several fish and loaves that feed thousands or, jars of water into gallons and gallons of wine, or twelve followers to a world wide movement, and 2) kingdom reversal - death to life, blindness to sight, bound by demons to freed for kingdom living.
Conference Fruits
John 15:1-11 and Luke 13:6-7
End the trend by 2010 (the Baltimore-Washington Conference will end a 15-year decline in confessions of faith and worship attendance):
- Increase by 1% the total BWC congregations' confessions of faith and worship attendance;
- Increase by 4% the amount of apportionment percentage paid in 2006;
- Assist 85% of the BWC congregations to produce one additional fruit;
- Engage 85% of BWC worshipers in ministry;
- Decrease the benevolence factor to 21%;
- Increase giving by 4% in BWC congregations;
- Increase the number of congregations giving 100% of their apportionment to 90%.
Begin a trend by 2012:
- 600 BWC churches will become Acts 2 congregations - Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, authentic Christian community and fruit bearing;
- Increase the combined worship attendance of BWC congregations by 10% over 2008 figures;
- Grow the combined confessions of faith of BWC congregations by 10% over 2008 figures;
- Engage 90% of worshipers in ministry;
- Decrease the benevolence factor to 19.5%;
- Increase giving in BWC congregations by 6% over the previous year;
- Receive 95% of the apportionment and increase to 95% the number of churches paying 100% of the apportionment.
